Curry Coz you can !

Koftas Hara Masala…Love my meaty balls in Green sauce

I have been less than productive since I got back from my trip to Kerala that’s not to say haven’t wanted to cook or write, its been more a matter that I have been busy doing other things and getting on with the life that is mine; and lets face it blogging is a pastime not a lifestyle choice. That said I am now getting my head down and throwing out some more recipes for your delectation. I am often suggesting that I have vegetarian leanings but the reality is that meat matters to me even though I may choose to dip in and out of the wild world of the carnivore.

This recipe is one of those recipes that hits the spot for me with regards to what I like to eat, and lets face it why cook something that you don’t like to eat?

Saucy to start, dry curries don’t really do it for me and this little offering is well wet with and a tinge of fusion thrown in for good measure, with a good Naan to soak up the gravy sauce heaven awaits. There’s also great list of spices that border on the unusual “Allspice” for starters, you don’t see that one much in Indian recipes, more usually found in Caribbean cookery, but don’t let that stop you using it. Cinnamon as well from Sri Lanka, again a rarity in the dishes I see floating around in the great curyiesphere where all the curry demons live. The beauty of these spices here is that they fuse together with some of the more traditional pure Indian spices to create an explosion of taste that lifts this dish to a great tasting fantastic plate of loveliness, that will set your taste buds dancing the light fantastic, much Joy!

Meatballs for me are something that I generally eat with Pasta although I do have to say I’m not a great lover of Pasta. Meatballs on the other hand, yum yum especially if they are made from pork sausage meat…. the meaty content here is lamb, nicely minced by the friendly local butcher, equally as tasty on the meatball front and better for the cook with religious considerations……

The problem here is that Mrs Demonology doesn’t like lamb so I’m not expecting her to like this very much. but one lives in hope, we will see…..

Cant wait to hear her review on this, she has been known to lick her plate for things she really likes but to be honest I’m not expecting that!

Its a fairly hot mix, with five green chillies, so for those of you that prefer things slightly easier, cut it down to one and a half chillies in the kofta’s, and the same in the sauce, and don’t forget to deseed them. Seeds in chilies for me are a non starter, they can make the curry bitter and the will certainly increase the heat in the dish, so I just take em out!… That said there’s a fair old dollop of yoghurt in the sauce which will bring the heat down a bit so don’t be too scared to go for the whole nine yards, you wont die!

There is also the option to use some vegetable stock, an idea I go for, as for me it offers an edge that bolsters up the sauce nicely giving an extra something that water on its own doesn’t bring………. but if your a purist and aren’t we all at heart, then just go for hot water. Indians in the kitchen as a general rule do not use stock of any kind and relying on the spices etc to do the whole flavour thing. For me though a stock cube is like an icing on a cake, which I like to use from time to time, especially on a dish where you are adding a lot of water, as in this particular recipe.

This is a nice and easy recipe that will fill hungry stomachs.

All the work in the dish is in the preparation, as is often the case in Indian cookery; so be prepared and all will go well. Serve this tasty dish with rice and you have a great meal. I for my part prefer Naans so I’m making the Naans too, check out these Garlic Naans they go fantastically with this dish………. so many challenges here for little old me, as bread making isn’t something that I have oodles of experience in!

This Recipe will serve 4 to 6 persons, or three hungry ones………

For the koftas

450 gm 1lb Minced Lamb

3 spring onions

2 Green Chillies

1 tbsp fresh Coriander

1tsp Allspice

1tsp Ground Cinnamon

1tsp Garam Masala

1tsp fresh Ground Black Pepper

2 Garlic Cloves Through a garlic press

2 inch Ginger finely grated

.5 tsp Salt

For the Sauce

1 tbsp Ghee or Oil

3 medium Onions

150ml Natural Yoghurt

3 Green Chillies

handful fresh Coriander

1 tbsp fresh Mint Chopped

2 cloves Garlic finely grated

2 inches Ginger finely grated

1 tsp ground Cumin

1tsp Garam Masala

1tsp ground Fennel

700ml Vegetable Stock, or water if your a purist

Salt to taste

Freshly ground Black Pepper to taste

.5 tsp ground Turmeric

Juice of half a Lemon!

For the Tempering

2 tbsp fried Shallots.

Toasted Flaked Almonds

2 tbsp. Double Cream and some

Rough chopped Fresh Mint to sprinkle on

The How to…..

There’s nothing too complex here and the meatballs themselves are just about as easy as it gets, simply combine all the ingredients together in a large bowl, get your hands in there and mix them well that’s it job done ; just ensure that before you get stuck into the mix that you have chopped and diced those ingredients that need it to a fine dice ensuring there are no big lumps of ginger and garlic, oh yeah and wash your hands before you do the mixing…Once mixed well

Roll the mixture up into to about golf ball size meaty balls of delight, and set them aside in a fridge, or a cool place until you need them…..how difficult is that ….?

The sauce well that’s not quite as simple but isn’t too taxing and if I can do it anyone can

Heat a tablespoon of ghee in a large flat based pan, fry the onions until they are golden brown, remove the onions using a slotted spoon placing them aside on some kitchen roll to drain.

Then fry the shallots until they become crispy, remove the shallots again with a slotted spoon and and drain on kitchen towel…..set aside

Place the onions in a blender along with the remaining sauce ingredients and blitz to a smooth paste

Reheat the ghee you used to fry the onions and add the onion paste and cook for about four or five minutes, then pour in the vegetable stock or hot water and bring to the boil.

Once the sauce has a fast boil on it you can add the meatballs return the mixture to the boil, lower the heat partially cover and simmer for a good 45 minutes or until the sauce has thickened and the oil is beginning to separate out…. that’s it pretty much job done…

To serve dribble over the cream and the garnish with the shallots, and finish off with the almonds and mint then serve……..

Mrs demonology loved the sauce, loved the Naans, but left the lamb…. bless her for trying!